Ice diver recovery platform

ABSTRACT

An ice diver recovery platform. The ice diver recovery platform comprises an integral elongated body comprising a front end, a back end, a bottom, and two elevated sides. The ice diver recovery platform is useful in deploying and retrieving a diver and or victims from ice water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of ice water recovery of bodies and other submergedobjects, there is a need for safety and easy recovery of a rescue diverfrom water, onto the edge of ice, and ultimately to the staging area ofa shore crew. Also, it is needful to be able to use a Bangalore styleextending pole that can deploy a diver to the water's edge without riskto the shore crew. The instant invention is constructed to reducefatigue in both the diver and the recovery crew, and reduces the risk ofdamage to expensive diving equipment such as a dry suit or buoyancycompensating vest, by jagged ice.

Eventhough the device of the instant invention can be used to floatrecovered bodies or other objects from ice water, the primaryconstruction of this invention is for use by divers for their safety onentering ice water or leaving ice water.

The patentee is aware of several devices used in rescue operations, forexample, that device found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,222 issued to Elias onOct. 11, 1994. The device is a water rescue sled for towing anincapacitated victim behind a personal watercraft. It has a buoyant bodyconfigured to support a recumbent victim.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,747 that issued Aug. 12, 2003 to Moore deals with astowable rescue device for patient transport and shows a rescue devicewhich is a sled having a back support. There are no buoyancy componentsin the device.

U.S. design Pat. 356,284 deals with a dragless body sled. There are nobuoyancy components. U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,567 that issued to Beer on Jun.14, 1994 deals with a n aquatic rescue device that is placed on the edgeof ice to enable a rescuer to move a victim from the water to the sled.The device is not equipped for ice water divers. A self-propelled icerescue device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,557 that issued to Landenon Jun. 27, 1995.

None of the devices shown in this prior art have the features of thedevice of the instant invention.

THE INVENTION

Thus, what is disclosed and claimed in the instant invention is an icediver recovery platform. The ice diver recovery platform comprises anintegral elongated body comprising a front end, a back end, a bottom,and two elevated sides.

The sides are mounted on outside edges of the bottom wherein the sidesextend from the front to about three quarters of the length of thebottom. The elevated sides are hollow and contain a water buoyantmaterial. The sides terminate with the front and the front is hollow andcontains a water buoyant material. The front has a middle point andthere is fixedly mounted at the middle point, a cleat. There is a handlemounted on each side near the front end of the side.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a full top view of a device 1 of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a full side view of a device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a full bottom view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of the device of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning now to FIG. 1, there is shown a full top view of a device 1 ofthis invention. There is shown an integral elongated body 2 comprising afront end 3, a back end 4, a bottom 5 (FIG. 3), and two elevated sides 6(FIG. 2).

The sides 6 are mounted on outside edges 7 of the bottom 5 and the sides6 extend from the front 3 to about three quarters of the length of thebottom 5. The elevated sides 6 are hollow and contain a water buoyantmaterial (not shown), such as air bladders, or other buoyant material,such as antifreeze. The sides 6 terminate at the front 3 and the front 3is hollow and contains a water buoyant material.

The front 3 has a middle point 8 and there is fixedly mounted at themiddle point 8, a cleat 9. There is a handle 10 fixedly mounted at eachside 6, near the front 3. There is an air purge hole 12 on each side ofthe platform near the front that is used to allow air to escape from theinterior. In addition, these holes 12 can be used to introduce waterbuoyant material to the interior of the platform.

Ropes 13 are used to couple the handles 10 to the cleat 9. It isoptional to use a pad 14 on the surface of the platform and usually thisis a foam pad, although, any useful pad material may be used.

Deployment cogs 16 are located on the platform, near the back end 4 (seeFIG. 1 for clarity).

Turning now to FIG. 2 there is shown a full side view of the device 1 ofthis invention in which there is shown the elongated body 2, one of thesides 6, the back end 4, the front end 3, the cleat 9, and bottom rails15. FIG. 3 is a full bottom view of the device 1 of this invention andshows the rails 15 clearer. Also shown is the front end 3, the back end4 and the cleat 9.

As a platform, it is primarily constructed such that is can be used forice diver deployment and recovery. Further, with a harness system (notshown), which is often used in recovery efforts, it can be used torecover an incapacitated victim.

The platform is static with no moving parts on the actual platform. Itis connected to the assisting crew by tether, for its recovery.Deployment is done traditionally with a Bangalore pole supplying atleast thirty feet of extension which keeps the crew at a safe distancefrom the water's edge where the ice is unsafe.

A bow sprit (cleat) 9 can optionally be built into the bow of theplatform for attachment of a tether. By the use of a tether, theplatform can be brought to the edge of an ice shelf and the platformwill plane unto the ice and glide over and onto the solid ice owing tothe bottom rails 15. There is generally two of these rails 15 runningfront 3 to back 4 and positioned on the underside of the platform thatserve the purpose of stiffening the floor and acting as runners,reducing friction and the possibility of the wet flat panel floorfreezing to the ice surface of the lake, pond or river when it is pulledfrom the water. However, it is contemplated within the scope of thisinvention to use more than two rails 15. The device 1 is constructedsimilar to a boat or barge type hull. Air bladders can be used at thefront and sides of the platform to create a bow-up position as it restsin the water and the stern can be submerged for a convenient approach bya diver ready to be recovered.

The air bladders are separated left (port) and right (starboard) toequalize any antifreeze solution needed to adjust the buoyancy of theplatform. Solutions are added or evacuated from access holes 10 on theforward deck by removing boat plugs or threaded caps (not shown).

The device of the instant invention is manufactured from plastic, metal,carbon fiber, or a combination of metal and carbon fiber, the preferredmetal being aluminum and the preferred plastics being polyethylene andpolypropylene, and especially preferred is cross linked polyethylene.

What is claimed is:
 1. A ice diver recovery platform, said ice diverrecovery platform comprising: an integral elongated body comprising afront end, a back end, a bottom, and two elevated sides; said sidesbeing mounted on outside edges of said bottom wherein said sides extendfrom said front to about three quarters of the length of said bottom,said elevated sides being hollow and containing a water buoyantmaterial; said sides terminating with said front, said front beinghollow and containing a water buoyant material.
 2. The ice diverrecovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein, in addition, there is afront and said front has a middle point there being fixedly mounted atsaid middle point, a cleat.
 3. The ice diver recovery platform asclaimed in claim 1 wherein, in addition, there is a handle mounted oneach said side near a front end of said side.
 4. The ice diver recoveryplatform as claimed in claim 1 wherein rails are located on said bottomof said sled.
 5. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1wherein said sled is manufactured from plastic.
 6. The ice diverrecovery platform as claimed in claim 5 wherein the plastic ispolyethylene.
 7. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 5wherein the plastic is polypropylene.
 8. The ice diver recovery platformas claimed in claim 6 wherein the polyethylene is crosslinkedpolyethylene.
 9. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1that is manufactured from metal.
 10. The ice diver recovery platform asclaimed in claim 9 wherein the metal is aluminum.
 11. The ice diverrecovery platform as claimed in claim 9 wherein the metal is magnesium.12. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 that ismanufactured from carbon fiber.
 13. The ice diver recovery platform asclaimed in claim 1 that is manufactured from a combination of carbonfiber and metal.
 14. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim13 wherein the metal is aluminum.
 15. The ice diver recovery platform asclaimed in claim 13 wherein the metal is magnesium.
 16. The ice diverrecovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein, in addition, there arecogs mounted on a top surface near the back end.
 17. The ice diverrecovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein, in addition, there is adeployment yoke mounted in the back end of said platform.